pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: temptation


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Tell the Story

Reading: Luke 7: 11-17

It must have been a powerful scene for all involved.  Imagine the onlookers as Jesus approaches the funeral procession.  Those carrying the young man’s body stop as Jesus draws near.  Jesus reaches up and touches the coffin and says something.  The anticipation that has steadily build explodes as the young man sits up and begin to speak.  Jesus returns the son to his mother and continues on His way.  The story concludes with powerful words being spoken about Jesus and the story spreads throughout the area.

We can relate to this story from three angles.  Some of the time we are like the widow.  We are at a place in life when we feel a deep weight upon us.   Something in our family or at work has occurred and we we are filled with a sadness over our loss.  In these places Jesus enters our lives and speaks words of healing and wholeness and peace.  From these experiences we have powerful personal stories to tell.

Sometimes we are like the son – dead to God because of our sins.  A serious temptation or sin has us ‘stuck’ and we feel so far removed from God that is seems like He does not even exist.  Shame and guilt have created what seems an impossible chasm to cross.  In these seasons, Jesus Christ desire to walk up to us, to touch us, and to call us back to our journey of faith.  The story of redemption and His love is a powerful story to share as well.

And sometimes we are the crowd – observers of some amazing act of Christ.  We are privy to seeing a lost soul saved or a person who finds miraculous healing from a disease or illness.  We feel the buzz and want to share the story with all we meet.

Our faith impacts us in so many ways.  Each encounter with the living Christ is another story to share with those we know and meet.  May we ever tell the story of His love.


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Things That Satisfy

Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-5

Today we hear an invitation to come to God to be satisfied.  Isaiah calls us to the waters that will satisfy our thirst.  He calls us to come and eat without cost.  Isaiah is calling us to come and find salvation and blessing, to enter the reign of Christ.

The passage is full of actions we must take.  “Come” is not the only one.  Isaiah also urges us to listen to what fills out soul, to spend what we have on things that truly satisfy, and to eat of the good that God offers.  When God invites us to partake of all this, Isaiah asks, why do we still seek what does not ultimately satisfy?  It is a good question to ponder.  It is one we wrestle with.

The things of this world can be alluring and enticing.  Satan is excellent at dangling that which draws each of us in before our eyes in a number of ways.  He works at those insecurities and doubts, deftly trying to pry them open just a bit wider all the time.  He nudges us into thinking more of ourselves and less of others as we play the blame and judgment games.

In the season of Lent, may we be increasingly aware of all that has appeal but that does not satisfy.  May we heed the voice of the Holy Spirit ad it warns, convicts, and corrects.  May we draw close to our Lord and Savior to drink and eat of the living water and the bread of life that He alone offers.


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Temptations

Jesus was led out into the wilderness after being baptized and receiving God’s personal claim and blessing.  He must have felt pretty good heading out into the desert.  After forty days without food, Satan comes to test Jesus.  Did Satan wait so long hoping that Jesus would forget His baptism experience or so that He was physically weak from the lack of food?  It was probably both.

Doesn’t Satan do the same thing with us?  The tempter knows his game well.  It is just when we are upset with our spouse or best friend that he reminds us of that little idiosyncracy that really bothers us.  It is just when stress at work is at its highest when Satan sends the boss or someone else to add “just one more thing” to the list.  It is just when we are worried most about finances that the unexpected bill arrives.

Jesus was tempted by Satan with three things: food to satisfy His hunger, power to rule over others, and to place self above God or to test God.  All of us have physical needs that must be met.  After forty days without food Satan’s offer would have been hard to resist.  Power is a universal temptation.  All of us like to have power, to be in control.  For each of us the level we desire varies.  The last temptation is the most personal to Satan and perhaps to us as well.  It is why Satan fell from heaven.  Satan wanted to be equal to God.  For me it is not so much about being equal to God but I sometimes question if He loves me as much as He says.  Satan here is tempting Jesus to question that love as well and to test God’s love.  To test God, to question the relationship is to show doubt, to say maybe I do not fully believe you God.  It is the first crack in the armor.

I wrestle often with power, with the need to be in control.  This is a frequent battle.  At times, I also question God.  It is my way of testing that love.  For me, these two struggles are closely related.  When I catch myself doing these things, I repent and am reminded again of God’s great love, mercy, and grace.  This day may I walk closely with You, my God and King.

Scripture reference: Luke 4: 1-13


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To the Throne

Sometimes in life we make poor choices and we sin.  Sometimes there are consequences we must face and deal with and live with here in this life.  When we sin there are always consequences to our relationship with God.  But we do not have to live with these.  Some do choose to but none of us have to.

Just prior in Hebrews we are reminded that we will have to give account of ourselves to God.  While this is true, in today’s reading we find our true hope.  We are encouraged to hold fast to our faith in times of suffering and pain because we have access to the great high priest, Jesus Christ.  We are invited to approach His throne boldly and without fear.

Do not think that what you have done is too much for Him to bear.  Do not think it is too depraved to reveal before Christ.  His love is greater than any sin we can commit.  In Hebrews we are reminded that Jesus, our great high priest, was tempted in every way.  He has been right up to that line where we cross into sin.  He has felt every temptation we feel.  Even though Jesus was without sin, He can relate to us in our sin and temptation.

We can boldly approach the throne with confidence because the one who sits on the throne walked where we walk and faced what we face.  At that throne we can lay our burdens down and confess our sins and sufferings and find nothing but mercy and receive nothing but grace.  At His throne we are washed clean and made new.  Go often and always for His love never ends and His mercies are made new every morning.

Scripture reference: Hebrews 4: 14-16


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Nathans

Sin can so easily slip into our lives.  Sometimes it is ‘small sin’ – unkind thoughts, jealous thoughts, angry thoughts.  We catch ourselves quickly, often wonder where that thought came from, and we seek forgiveness from God in order to mend our relationship with Him.  Maybe we do not check it so soon and the thoughts become words.  Then we must also seek to mend that human relationship with the one we offended or hurt.  In both cases we must look within to find the cause of the sin and work to make that right as well.

Sometimes the temptation is a little bigger and we succumb to it.  The pull is more that we think we can withstand on our own and the draw is greater than our desire to turn to God for help.  We head down a road we know we should not be on, moving forward anyway.  We have all been here before and will probably be there again.  Maybe we did not go as far as David went but we can certainly relate.

Nathan was a true friend to David and he was faithful to God.  He had these two characteristics we all need in those closest to us.  Led by God, Nathan came and spoke truth into David’s life.  He called him out and forced David to look at his sin.  I am positive that David knew he was sinning every step of the way.  We always do too.  David just needed a good friend like Nathan to name it so that he could own it.

Do you have a Nathan or two in your life?  Are you a Nathan to a couple people close to you who you value?  No matter how big or small we each are in the grand scheme of life, we all need to have accountability partners.  I need people willing to say, “John, we need to talk.”  Others need me to do this for them.  It is together that we grow in faith; in community we are each better.  May we each be the iron that sharpens iron.

Scripture reference: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a


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Time for the Word

The disciples were sanctified by Jesus.  Through His words and actions the disciples came to know the truth.  They understood the ways of God.  Through sanctification they were marked as holy, set apart from the world.  God seeks to sanctify us as well.  As we grow in closeness to God, we become increasingly separated from the things of this world.  Just as Jesus told the disciples that they do not belong to the world, He tells us the same thing as He lays claim to our lives.

Since we belong to Jesus as His disciples, we know the path we are called to walk in this world. We are called to offer the world radical love, unexpected forgiveness, absolute justice, complete compassion, and sacrificial service.  In short, we are to live out the life that Jesus patterned for us so that all may come to know Him.

There is much beauty and good in the world. God loves the world and all that He created is good.  We can love these aspects of the world too.  But sin did enter the world and Satan continues to operate in the world.  As Jesus claims us and as we continue to grow closer to God, we are called away from greed and wealth, away from violence and corruption, and away from status and power.

In the midst of the world and this culture, how can we be sanctified, set apart for God?  It is God’s Word that sanctifies us.  Time in the Word draws us closer to Him.  Time in the Word builds up our armor and makes us strong so we can resist temptation.  Time in the Word lays out how we are to be in the world but not of it.  We must spend time in the Word of God, for there we too find truth.

Scripture reference: John 17: 17-19


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Unity and Protection

Jesus makes it clear that as His disciples we are no longer of this world but belong to Him and the heavenly realms.  In this human form we are in the world not but our true and eternal home is not here on this earth.  Yet in our time here we are called to be in ministry to one another and to stand strong for our faith when Satan comes to drag us down.

The prayer that Jesus prays for His disciples is a prayer for each of us as well.  Jesus knew that this struggle to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth would go on for generations and generations so He was and is praying for us and future disciples as well.

Jesus first asked God for unity amongst His disciples.  In the time of the prayer the disciples faced strong opposition both from the Jews and the Romans.  The first church was a small band that really needed to stick together.  Today we continue to face many challenges from the culture and world around us.  True disciples are a minority even within some churches.  We too need to be united as the body of Christ; together we are strong.

Jesus also prayed for protection for His disciples.  It is so easy to give in to the things of this world, to give in to the pressure, to believe the evil one’s lies.  Jesus knew firsthand the evil one’s temptations and He prays for us because He knows that Satan does not go away.  In the trials, lean into Jesus.  Know that He too never goes away.  Jesus is always by our side, right until the end of the age.  Amen.

Scripture reference: John 17: 6-16


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Ever Seeking

When the faith of our childhood becomes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we are born again.  This process can be quite sudden or it can be a long progression.  In any event, all who believe in Jesu come to this decision point.  We say we are born again because from that point on we begin to live a new life.

For many it is a fresh start or a new beginning.  For others it is simply a new level of dedication.  Our old self falls away as does the desires for the things of this world.  There is still allure and temptation, but He who has overcome the world also helps us to overcome the desires of the flesh.

The new life is centered on love – love of God and love of our fellow man.  As we are transformed daily to be more and more like Christ, our ability to love also grows.  This life that revolves around love is patterned after our Savior, who loved all He met, even those who took His earthly life on that cross.

Our transformation is an ongoing process.   God is never done with us.  As we inch closer and closer to perfection, we become increasingly aware of just how often we fail and just how far away we really are.  Funny thing though, this is also what keeps us going in the right direction, ever seeking to become more and more like Christ.

Scripture reference: 1 John 5: 1-6


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Temples Bought at a Price

Imagine you are making a batch of cookies.  You mix the butter, sugars, and eggs together.  You fold in the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Next you stir in the chocolate chips.  Lastly you add in a cup of mustard.  You then spoon out your dough.  Yes, I know, you are stuck back at the mustard.  Why?  Because it would ruin some perfectly delicious cookies!
Paul remind us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Once we enter into a personal relationship with Christ, the Spirit dwells within us.  In 1st Corinthians 6, Paul is addressing the sexual immorality that has crept into the church there.  It is the mustard that has been added to the mix.  For Christians today, we all struggle with sin.  No one follows the ‘recipe’ that Jesus provided 100% of the time.  We all struggle.  Our vices and temptations may vary, but we all struggle.  Whatever our fancy, these sins add the wrong ingredients to our lives.
Paul also goes on to remind the Corinthians and us that we were all bought with a price.  He calls us to remember the physical and emotional price that Jesus paid for the forgiveness of our sins.  His body and blood were a gift to us all for the redemption of our sins.  Paul wants the Corinthians and us to see our physical connection to Christ and to realize the price paid to keep that connection open.  Once we enter into that relationship, our body is joined to Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  He urges them and us to live to honor that connection.  May we honor God in all we do and say, bringing glory to His name!
Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20


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Signs, Warnings, and Guidance

God issued the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness.  He was seeking to give the a road map to life as a follower of God.  Some laws pointed them to the only true God (no idols!).  Other laws were warnings against using His name in vain, against stealing, murder, coveting, and so on.  One law even reminded them to take a sabbath rest and to connect to Him on that day.

Thousands of years later these rules still apply and we still struggle with some of them.  Well, maybe we struggle with most of them.  At times we allow idols to rule our lives – the idols of money or power or recognition or gossip.  We can chase after these idols.  At times we may take more than we need or deserve and maybe do not always give 10% of our time or money back to God each day.  We can hold a pretty tight grip on these things.  At other times we may even be jealous of what another has.  We can cast a longing eye at their new boat or their spouse or their musical or athletic ability.

Yet God does not give up on us.  The Holy Spirit continues to place signs, to nudge us, to speak truth into our lives.  As we learn to heed and to listen to these things, God refines us.  Our path gradually becomes more aligned with the path that Jesus walked.  Our footsteps stray and wander less as we grow in our faith and continue to become more and more Christ-like.  The path can be challenging and Satan will always continue to place temptations before us.  Yet God is always there, cheering us on, always pouring His grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness into us.  May we trust and lean into His strength and guidance as we seek to continue on our journey of faith.

Scripture reference: Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, and 12-20